Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1887-12-03

and taking q circle, hoped to meet
| Mr.. Wilson before he approached
the ambush. She struggled with des-
perate haste through the bushes,
making as little noise as possible.
and at length emerged about an eighth
of mile below the hickory. She
looked anxiouslv down the road, but
Mr.. Wilson had passed while she was
still in the underbrush, and was al.
ready at the TRUSTING place. While
Lena, with beating heart, was still
looking and listening, she heard from
the spot where she had left the Indian.
the sound of blow, fall, and low
whoop of exultation. Then the Indian
bounded across the road into the wood
on the opposite side.
Lena ran with faltering feet to the
tree. There lay her lover, fallen upon
| his face, the snow stained with his
blood, and only fearfully, strangline
gasps to show that he was not utterly
| dead.
The poor terror-stricken girl turned
him over and looked for his wounds.
She found them easily; one, by the
gushing fountain of blood, which she
tried in vain to stanch; and the other
by the knife which still remained in it.
A few moro spasmodic gasps, and she
held In her clinging arms only clay.
She sat still, fearless and motionless.
looking upon the stiffening of those
beloved features. It was bitter cold,
and gradually the half-clad girl was sue
cumbing to the freezing air, but she did
not heed it.
Some fiendish whim induced the In
dian to return to lo,,k again upon his
victim, and while Lena was thus watch
ing her dead, he parted the bushes at
the feet of the murdered man, and
stood there laughing.
"The Englishman came, Lena" he
said, and asked me for kiss; was sit
ting there with the things on, and the
cloak hid my long legs. He stopped
down over me and said, My love, am
late, but I could not help it; kiss me. ,
'YesI will, I said; there is one-take it.
Lena left it for you, when she lent
me her clothes, and there is another
from me, with the knife for present.
He took both in silence, Lena, except
that his breast-bone cracked for an
answer. Ha ha! ha! And now, Lena,
you shall give me the kiss he asked
for" The Indian advanced step.
"Stop," exclaimed she, with cold,
calm voice, and pointed to the bleeding
bosom. "Dare to approach"
Her tone, the pallor of her face, her
large, rigid blue eyes fixed upon him,
the sharpness of outline which the
moonlight lent her face, the white &C
cusing finger, all started his supersti-
tious mind into G sudden belief that
she was spirit, and with knees knock
ing together, he stole from the spot
and was never seen again by white
men. Lena did not know why he left
so suddenly, and through the torpidity
of her feeling the thought came that he
would return to scalp the corps. There
fore she would not go home, but stayed
to watch it, regardless of the cold and
sickening at the sight of her own warm
garments, which lay near, just as the
Indian had thrown them off. She went,
however, and stood in the road calling
for help.
And the people in the village below
could see on the hill, against the win
ter's sky, woman's form, with bare
head and indoor clothing, moving to
and fro, raising it's arms in supplication
and uttering sad cries; but it was so
unlikely that any of their women should
be so exposed at that no lr that they
were convinced that it was an appari-
ton, and dared not go and see. Every
one stood gazing, open-mouthed at the
wonder, until all became silent, and the |
form was no longer to be seen.
Then they began to talk about it,
and to run about from one house to an
other gathering opinions.
And so the news reached Casper |
Keller, whose house was not in a posi-
ton to see the hilltop. The old man,
swearing at them for fools, set out with |
active step and cheerful, bold heart,
to render aid to the distressed person
or persons. When he arrived at the |
hilltop no one was there, but in the |
trodden snow he followed the footsteps
into the bushes, and saw young girls |
stiffened form lying with her head |
pillowed on the breast of mans body, !
whose ife-blood had crimsoned all the |
snow around them.
Poor old man! to find that the girl |
was his own daughter.
mere were others following him,
and they carried the lovers home.
They thought, at first, that both
were dead, but Lena recovered suf-
ficiently to tell the sad particulars.
She lived but few hours. To make
some atonement her father had the
lovers buried side by side.
Every since that time the people say
that when looking up to the hill they
sometimes see the creeping Indian and
the imploring maiden. Yes, and the
distracted old father tearing his hair
and beard and cursing himself for
crossing his daughters love.-Chicdgo
LEDGER.
IT Is known that enormous hairy
elephants or mastodons once lived in |
Siberia and Alaska. Not only are their |